A high-ranking military man accused of corruption commits suicide

Ⓒ AFP/Archivos – Greg Baker – | General Zhang Yang (center), member of the Central Military Commission, applauds Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a speech at the Congress in Beijing on March 5, 2017

A senior Chinese military officer accused of corruption committed suicide, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday, a rare occurrence among Chinese leaders since President Xi Jinping launched his anti-corruption campaign five years ago.

General Zhang Yang, a member of the Central Military Commission, hanged himself at his home on November 23, the agency said.

He was under investigation for „serious violation of discipline“ and was linked to other high-level officials dismissed for corruption, according to the same source.

„In the investigation, it was discovered that Zhang Yang seriously violated the discipline and the law, is suspected of having received bribes and could not clarify the source of valuable goods,“ Xinhua said.

General Zhang was one of the last targets of President Xi’s anti-corruption campaign, which targets both the government and the army.

The operation has already punished 1.5 million officials of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012, both locally and nationally, according to official figures.

The deceased general was investigated for his alleged links to Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, two high-ranking ex-military men who have already fallen for corruption.

The Central Military Commission, chaired by Xi Jinping, is the most important political body overseeing the Chinese armed forces.

A high-ranking military man accused of corruption commits suicide was last modified: November 28th, 2017 by Live